The present invention relates to a self-service terminal. In particular, the present invention relates to an automated teller machine (ATM).
Traditionally, ATMs have been used as a convenient mechanism for providing users with cash twenty-four hours a day. However, ATMs are increasingly used to provide other services, including financial services (such as cheque and cash deposit, bill payment, and such like) and information services (such as share prices, news headlines, and such like).
A disadvantage associated with ATMs providing additional services is that people waiting in a queue to use an ATM may have to wait longer than expected for the ATM to become available. This is because performing additional services at ATMs increases the time required for the ATM to conduct a transaction, thereby increasing user waiting time.
However, it is desirable to be able to provide a user with additional information as this attracts users to a particular ATM and improves the relationship between the owner of an ATM and a user of the ATM.
It is among the objects of an embodiment of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantage or other disadvantages associated with self-service terminals.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a self-service terminal comprising a port for outputting transaction details, the terminal being characterised in that the terminal is operable to append current information relating to preferences previously selected to transaction details output via the port.
The port may be a receipt printer slot, a statement printer slot, or such like for delivering physical media. The transaction details may be printed or otherwise imaged on this media. The current information may be appended to a front face of the media; alternatively or additionally, the current information may be appended to a rear face of the media. In one embodiment, current information may be printed on the back of a receipt or a statement. Adding the current information to a receipt or statement has the advantage that a terminal screen is not cluttered with the current information. If the current information was displayed on a screen this may distract or confuse a user. Another advantage of adding the current information to a receipt or statement is that the user can review the current information at a later time when the user has left the vicinity of the terminal.
Alternatively, the port may be a wireless communication port, such as an IrDA compliant port, a Bluetooth (trade mark) compliant port, or such like. The transaction details may be provided in electronic or optical format.
By virtue of this aspect of the present invention current information on preferences previously selected by a user, such as the price of stock held by the user, the latest news headlines, or such like, can be delivered to the user without the user specifically requesting this information during each transaction.
By appending current information to transaction details requested by a user, the terminal does not generate an output specifically for the current information, the terminal only appends the current information to an output specifically requested by the user; thus, if a user does not request any output, no current information will be delivered to the user even if the user has selected preferences. This ensures that the length of each transaction is not adversely affected by providing a user with current information. This ensures that the average waiting time at an ATM is not increased by providing a user with current information.
Preferably, when the user has been identified the terminal accesses a datastore to retrieve selected preferences related to the user.
Preferably, the terminal obtains current information relating to these preferences while a transaction is being processed. This has the advantage that the time taken to complete a transaction is not significantly increased.
In one embodiment, if the terminal cannot obtain current information within a predetermined time (such as ten seconds) then the terminal aborts the step of retrieving current information. This has advantage that a transaction is not delayed if current information cannot be obtained quickly.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of providing current information relating to preselected preferences to a user at a terminal, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a user; accessing a datastore to obtain preselected preferences associated with the user; obtaining current information relating to the preselected preferences; and, in response to a request to output transaction details to a port, appending the current information to the transaction details.
The term xe2x80x9cidentifyingxe2x80x9d, as used herein, is intended to include a claim to an identity, verifying an identity, and determining a user""s identity. A claim to an identity may be made by a user inserting a magnetic stripe card having identification data stored thereon. Verifying an identity occurs when an entered PIN matches a PIN associated with a claimed identity. Determining a user""s identity occurs when a biometrics system is used without the user claiming an identity.
The current information may be updated periodically (such as every ten minutes). Alternatively, the current information may be updated during each transaction.
The current information may be obtained by the terminal directly from a source of the information.
Alternatively, a server may obtain the current information from the source and the terminal may obtain the current information from the server. This may have a number of advantages.
(1) security may be improved because each terminal does not have direct access to an external source of information.
(2) if the network connecting the server to the terminals is a high bandwidth network then the information is conveyed very quickly, thereby minimising any delays in transmission, and consequently minimising any delays during a transaction.
(3) the server may extract the desired current information from other text and graphics that are not required, thereby: reducing the amount of information to be transmitted to the terminals, decreasing the transmission time, and decreasing the amount of processing required at each terminal.
(4) information is always available to each terminal within a short time period, even if the transmission rate from the external source to the server is very slow, as the server may only update information when all the new information has been received.